FC Barcelona somehow managed to remain in the race for the La Liga title following a narrow 1-0 win over Real Valladolid. Arturo Vidal’s first-half goal was the only difference between the sides as the Catalans were rather complacent and lacked inspiration, especially in the second half.
Barcelona Players Rated Vs Real Valladolid
Marc Andre ter Stegen 8/10
A brilliant save to deny Enes Unal around the hour-mark, and it was followed by another one as Real Valladolid made some offensive threat in the second half. Made yet another save to deny Sandro late in the game. A couple of nervy claims were a minor blip in an otherwise solid and influential display in between the sticks from the German.
Nelson Semedo 7.5/10
Nelson Semedo was arguably Barcelona’s best player in the first half. The Portuguese international enjoyed a lot of freedom on the right flank, providing the width going forward. However, some questionable tactical changes from Quique Setien restricted his movements as the defender mainly operated in a more defensive role after the restart.
Gerard Pique 6.5/10
Gerard Pique was totally incompetent, at times, when marking the Valladolid attackers. Unal, in particular, found a lot of space, although the Spaniard did win vital aerial challenges late in the game.
Clement Lenglet 7/10
Clement Lenglet was solid while he was on the pitch. His crisp passing and good understanding with Pique mostly kept things quiet at the back. However, he was subbed off in the second half.
Jordi Alba 6/10
Jordi Alba clearly has not enjoyed life with Setien. And it was evident in his performance against Valladolid. The Spaniard ran around useless at times and failed to provide any sort of inspiration on the flanks.
Sergio Busquets 6.5/10
Sergio Busquets had an average game. He was solid with his passing and screened the backline in the first half. But yet another questionable substitution from Setien saw Barcelona struggle as the midfielder was hooked off in the second half.
Arturo Vidal 7.5/10
Arturo Vidal had a rather decent game this evening. The Chilean international scored the all-important opener through some nice one-on-one with Lionel Messi. He was also willing to close down the opposition and cover the ground.
Riqui Puig 7.5/10
Riqui Puig was one of the most active players for Barcelona in the first half. His movements, passing and technical prowess were key in helping his club dominate the game. He was surprisingly taken off before the hour-mark, though.
Sergi Roberto 6.5/10
Starting in the absence of Frenkie de Jong, Sergi Roberto provided a lot of cover for his marauding teammates. His versatility was also useful for Barcelona. But individually, the Spaniard failed to make much impact on the proceedings.
Antoine Griezmann 4/10
A disappointing performance from Antoine Griezmann, who, at first, failed to capitalise from a great chance that stemmed from a defensive error from the Valladolid. Then the Frenchman missed an absolute sitter that should have killed the game in the first half. Got hooked off at half-time.
Lionel Messi 8/10
Needless to say, Messi was by far the most influential outfield player for Barcelona. The Argentine produced an excellent pass to feed Vidal for the opener and was a menace for the Valladolid defence throughout the course of the game. Unfortunately, the attack didn’t find himself in a potential goalscoring situation.
SUBSTITUTES
Luis Suarez 5/10
Replaced Griezmann in the second half and made minimal impact on the proceedings. Although Luis Suarez’s movements were always going to be problematic for Valladolid, the veteran striker failed to penetrate the opposing lines.
Ivan Rakitic 5/10
Ivan Rakitic replaced Puig just before the hour mark and provided very little in the Barcelona midfield. He did probe the Valladolid defence when Barcelona were dominating possession, but that was it.
Ronald Araujo 6/10
Replacing Lenglet in the second half, Ronald Araujo had an average game alongside Pique as Vallodolid pushed for the equaliser in the second half.
Junior Firpo 5/10
Junior Firpo came in for Busquets and started operating as a centre-back. Almost gave away a penalty if the ball hadn’t hit the upper portion of his arm while trying to clear a cross.
